GINO SAYS: KEEP CALM AND PLAN AHEAD!
Take a tip or two from the cheeky, charismatic TV chef who isn’t interested in receiving Christmas presents – just give him Prosecco and Only Fools And Horses…
Traditionally it’s the day when even the best of home cooks end up in a flap. But popular TV chef
Gino D’Acampo has revealed the key to a stress-free Christmas…
It’s actually to cook less rather than more – and most importantly, to pour a large glass of wine while doing it!
“What people get wrong mainly is the fact that they’re tr ying to do too much. What they should do is pour themselves a glass of wine, relax and do three or four things well,” is his view.
“Preparation is the most impor tant thing when you cook for many people. There are so many elements that can be prepared in advance and people often tr y to do ever ything at once on the day, which can be chaotic. So I say – keep calm and plan ahead!”
Like many of us, Gino regards Christmas as one of his favourite times of the year. But he won’t be shouting up the chimney for anything in par ticular. When once asked about his own wish list, he said, “I’m lucky enough to have ever ything I need. I’ve got my family, a great lifestyle, a fantastic job. I already have a boat and a holiday home in Italy. It would be greedy of me to ask for more.
“The most impor tant thing is a peaceful, relaxing Christmas with my family. I don’t care about presents – presents are for children, not for us.”
Gino (44) lives in
Her tfordshire with his wife Jessica and their three children, Luciano (18),
Rocco (15) and Mia (8). Having grown up in Naples, he moved to Britain when he was 19 after meeting
Jessica when they both worked at Sylvester Stallone’s restaurant in Marbella.
With no contacts and no money, Gino star ted at the bottom in London, knocking on doors until he landed three kitchen jobs – one in a snack bar, one at a hotel and another with an Italian fast food chain.
He was spotted for television by chance by a producer while working for a company developing meals for Tesco. Impressed by Gino’s charm and personality, the producer invited him to appear on the UKTV Food channel. Vivacious, warm and funny, he proved a natural, and his screen career took off.
As well as his hilarious appearances on This Morning and three years of Let’s Do Lunch, he’s hosted countless television food shows including Gino’s Italian Escape and written more than a dozen cooker y books. The nation also took him to their hear ts when he won the 2009 series of I’m A Celebrity...
Such is his popularity that this autumn, he moved out of the kitchen to host a revamped version of the much-loved game show Family For tunes, originally hosted by Bob Monkhouse,
Sprouts always cause a stir at Christmas – while some people love them, others refuse to even have them on their plate.
Yet according to Gino there’s a way to enable everyone to enjoy the beleaguered Brussel.
The chef’s trick is to mix up a bowl of chopped flat leaf parsley, freshly grated pecorino cheese, fine toasted breadcrumbs, chopped garlic and salt and pepper.
After boiling the Brussels for five minutes, they’re transferred to a dish and the mixture sprinkled across them. The dish is then placed in the oven and cooked for 15 minutes at 220 degrees. “How can you not love my sprouts?” Gino smiles.
Make Brussels Beautiful…
… But Turkey Is A No-No
He may have lived in Britain for 25 years, but Gino still hasn’t warmed to our Christmas tradition of a roast turkey dinner.
If he’s in his native country, he usually tucks into sea bass in salt, with clams, mussels, prawns and smoked salmon, followed by the classic Italian seasonal sweet bread Panettone. If he’s at home in England his festive feast includes roast pork, but our favourite bird will be nowhere to be seen.
“We’re not making turkey because it’s dry and tasteless,” the straight-talking chef recently revealed.
“Nobody likes it. Christmas is the best day of the year and you do the worst meal of the year!”